Engine



Dec. 8, 1953 w. w. SMITH 2,661,699

ENGINE Filed June 10, 1949 2 Sheets-Sheet l 50 00 Q 20 BY I Dec. 8, 1953 w. w. SMITH 2,661,699

ENGINE Filed June 10, 1949 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 Patented Dec. 8, 1953 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE ENGINE William 'W. Smith, Bufialo, N. Y. 'ApplicaticnJune-lo, 1949; Serial N0. 98,323

4 Claims. (Cl. 103-161) One of theobjects of this-invention is to. produce an engine provided with'me'ansof improved ccnstruction -forming. a connection between the engine shaft and the. reciprocatory' pistons. Another ob'jectpis-to provide an engine of thistype of improved construction in-:which the cylinders revolvefiabout' a stationary shaft andin which the number'of. partsof the engine is materially reduced...- A furtherobi'ect is to provide anengine of this'type in which asingle rigid yoke member is. provided which forms the connection betweenthe engine. shaft andthe pistons. Another'object is to provide an engine in which the pistons are provided with cross barswith which the: arms: of. the rigid yokev member have a sliding connection crosswise of the pistons during. the operation-of the engine.

It is also an-object'of this invention to. pro vide an engine of this type with-valve meanslofimproved construction.

Other objects and advantageswill be apparent from the following description of; one embodir ment of the invention and, the novel features-will be particularly pointed: outhereinafter in connection with the appended claims.

In the accompanying drawingswhichshow by way of example one type, of engine embodying this invention:

Fig, 1 is a transverse centralsectional -.e1e.vae tion of an engine embodying this inventions .Fig. 2 is a fragmentary section thereof ,1 on line 2-2, Fig. 1.

Fig. 3 is a longitudinal, sectionalelevation thereof, on, line 3-3, Fig. 1. 7

Figs. 4 and 5 are fragmentary-sectional eleva tions thereof, respectively, on. lines 4'--4-- and 5-'5, Fig. 3.

In said drawings, the eng-ine'is shown as driven by steam, compressed air or o'thergas. lnorder.

to clearly illustrate the principleszof my-invem.

tion, I have shown in-theaccompanying drawings a four'cylinder engine; but-it will beunderstood that a larger number of cylinders maybe used or the engine'may-be constr-uctedwithas few as two cylinders,

The engine shown includes an annular orasub: stantially cylindrical casing. or housing within which the parts of the engine arearranged; and this housing is providedwith'abase of any' suitable type. For example; the base: may include a pairoflegs or footportions a forsupporting 2 the engine on. a bed. or foundation. These legsv may be formed integral'with the annular house ing8', and upright webs or reinforcing members lflcimay-be employed which are formed integral with the annular housing and the foot portions 9. and serve to reinforce the structure. The

cylindricalhousing 8 is closed at its oppositeends bymeansof' end walls. H and 12 which maybe suitably connected'with or secured to the housing 8 in any desired manner, for example, by means. of bolts or screws [4.

The engine housing or frame may-also includea pair of brackets or pedestals IE or any suitable or desired; shape which are secured-to the foot portions 9 and extend upwardly therefrom and are provided at their upper'ends with annular bosses or enlargements which are bored-to'receive the ends of the shaft ll of the engine. In the'partieular construction shown; theqcylinders revolve about the shaft, and consequently, the shaft is held against rotation-and this may be accomplished in any suitable or usualmanner, set screws I8 being shown by way of example for this purpose, which extend-into the bosses l6 and the inner ends of which -engage; the-shaft. 'Any' other means for holding the shaft against rotation maybe provided.

I'9 represents the engine cylinders, of which any-desired number may be employedand which are arranged-to rotate-about the shaft ll. The cylinders are arranged symmetrically about the shaft. The cylinders may be formed in a single casting and reinforcing webs ISaconnecting the cylinders may. be formed integral therewith. These cylinders are provided at their outer ends with heads 20. bolted or otherwise suitably secured to the cylinders and the cylinders arearranged radially with reference to the axis of the shaft H. The cylinders are-preferably formedintegral with each other or rigidly connected so thatxall of the cylinders will rotate as a unit about-theaxis of the shaft 11. is provided with a piston'2l mounted toreciprocate. therein.

The connections between the reciprocable pistons and the engine shaft are preferably constructed as follows: :The engine shaft aswbest shown-in Fig. 3 may, for-sake of convenience in manufacturing and assembling, be made intwo parts terminating at-their inner ends in radially offset crankportions or lugs 24 which are constructed to support a crank orpin ZE arranged ineccentric relation to the. shaft I1. Anyother construction for providing a shaft with a crank or-eccentric may beprovidedif desired.

The crank Ml-is connected with the-pistonsby Each cylinder means of a rigid yoke member 21, which is rotatably mounted on the crank or eccentric 255, and the yoke member is provided with a plurality of outwardly extending arms 28 which are preferably formed integral or rigidly connected with the yoke member, one of these arms being provided for each piston. The yoke member and the arms may be of any suitable or desired construction, and in the particular engine illustrated, see particularly Fig. 3, the yoke member is made of two equal halves which may be connected by means of bolts or other securing devices 29. The yoke is preferably journalled on the crank by means of anti-friction bearings, such as ball or roller bearings 29a.

The ends of the arms 28 of the yoke member have slidable connections with the pistons in a direction transversely of the axes of the pistons. For this purpose, the ends of the arms of the yoke member are provided with bearings 39 through which cross bars 32 extend, these cross bars being suitably secured to the pistons, preferably to the skirts thereof by providing these skirts with inwardly extending bosses or lugs 33. The cross bars 32 may be secured in the bosses in any suitable means, and in the construction illustrated for this purpose, set screws 3&- are provided which extend into the bosses or lugs 33 and into engagement with the ends of the cross bars 32. It will be noted that the cross bars extend in directions at right angles to the shaft 11 and substantially tangential to a circle drawn about the axis of the shaft ll.

The engine constructed as thus far described operates as follows, see particularly Fig. 1. As the cylinders revolve about the axis of the shaft I1 and as the yoke member 28 rotates about the axis of the crank 25, it will be obvious that there must be relative movement between the arms 23 of the yoke 21 and the pistons, and this relative movement is made possible by means of the cross bars 32 and bearings 39 in the end portions of the arms of the yoke. When a cylinder is in a position such as the upper position shown in Fig. 1, in which the axis of the piston intersects both the axis of the shaft and. of the crank 25, so that the piston is in dead center position, the arm 28 of the yoke which is connected with that portion will engage the middle portion of the cross bar 32. As this cylinder moves in a counterclockwise direction, as indicated by the arrow in Fig. 1, into a position at 90 degrees from the upper position, it will be obvious that the arm 28 will move relatively to the piston and when the piston is in a position in which its axis is substantially horizontal as in the case of the lefthand piston shown in Fig. 1, the yoke arm 23 connecting the piston will have moved lengthwise of the cross bar 32 to an extent equal to the eccentricity of the crank with reference to the shaft. When this cylinder and its piston pass through another 90 degrees of movement, the piston will again be in dead center position and the arm of the yoke which is connected therewith will again be in a position in the middle of the cross bar 32. During the next 90 degrees of rotation, the arm 28 will slide lengthwise of the cross bar toward the opposite end thereof, and will return again to the middle position on the cross bar when the piston again returns to the upper position shown in Fig. 1. The same action will, of course, take place with each of the other pistons of the engine.

The cylinders may about the shaft in any suitable manner, and in be mounted for rotation the construction shown for this urpose they are mounted on a pair of flanges 35 and 33. These flanges have integrally formed sleeves 3? and 38 through which the shaft I'l extends, and these flanges may be journalled on the end walls H and [2 of the housing in any suitable manner, for example, by means of anti-friction bearings, such as the ball bearings 39. Power may be received or delivered from the engine through either or both of these sleeves 3? and 38, for example, by means of a pulley Ml keyed to the sleeve 37.

Fluid may be delivered to the cylinders in any suitable manner, and in the construction shown, the shaft H is provided with an axially extending passage d2 terminating at one end thereof in the end of the shaft. The inner end of this passage connects with a radial passage 23 terminating at the peripheral surface of the shaft, and the shaft may be provided with a groove 6 1, see Fig. 4, which connects with the radial passage 43. The circumferential groove 44 may be of any desired length, the length of the groove determining the time during which the cylinders are connected with the intake passage 12.

The end flange 36 of the cylinder is provided with radial passages 51 therein, one of these passages being provided for each cylinder. The inner end of each passage 41 is arranged to communicate with the circumferential passage M. of the shaft i1 during a'portion of the rotation of the cylinder with which the passage l! connects. The passages l! may be connected with tubes or ducts 48 which connect with spaces or ports 49 in the cylinders. For this purpose, each cylinder is provided adjacent to the outer head or closure 28 thereof with a transverse wall or inner head 5!) in which the valves are located. The wall as is preferably secured to the adjacent outer cylinder head in any suitable manner, for example, by means of bolts or screws 52, extending through a web or a partition formed on inner and outer cylinder heads and which divide the space between the two heads into two spaces or manifolds, one for the incoming motive fluid and the other for the exhaust. The space 49 in the cylinder head is accordingly formed between the outer head 25 and the transverse wall or inner head 59, as clearly shown in Fig. 3,- and is divided by the webs into inlet and exhaust manifolds. 54 represents an inlet valve arranged to seat in the transverse wall or inner head 5i! and held in closed or seated position by means of a spring 55. When the engine is working as an air or steam engine, the pressure of air or steam passing through the passages 42, 43, 45 and 48 into thespa'ce 49 will forcethe inlet valve 54 into open position and thus introduce steam or compressed air into the cylinder above the piston 21. When the engine is Working as a pump, the medium to be pumped is admitted to the space 49 and the movement of a piston toward the axis of rotation will produce suction in the cylinder, and thus draw in the fluid which is being pumped. The fluid may be admitted to the passage 42 in the shaft [1 by means of a pipe or duct 51 suitably coupled to the shaft l? and communicating with the passage 42 therein.

The exhaust may, for example, be controlled me. somewhat similar manner. In the construction shown, the shaft I1 is provided at the other end thereof, namely, the right-hand end in Fig. 3, with a central aperture 62 connecting with a radial passage '63, terminating in a circumferential groove 34 in the shaft, which groove extendscompletely about'the shaft. The cylinder supporting flange '35 has a series 'of ra- 'dially extending passages or apertures 61 connecting with tubes or ducts 68 leading to a space -69 formed between the outer cylinder head 20 and the transverse wall or inner head 50. The

wall or head 50 is provided with a valve port which may be opened and closed by means of "an exhaust valve which is normally. seated This valve stem and its head, consequently, project beyond the outer cylinder head and are adapted to cooperate with a cam 'IE secured to or formed on the inner surface of the annular housing 8. The cam is substantially circular in form, being provided at one end thereof with an inclined face 16 and at the other end with an inclined face 11. Consequently, when the cylinder turns in the direction indicated by the arrow in Fig. 1, the cam will actuate the exhaust valves as the cylinders approach their lowermost positions in the particular construction illustrated. The cam will keep the exhaust valve open until just before the cylinder approaches the upper position shown in Fig. 1, in which position, the exhaust valve will be closed by the spring H as the head of the valve stem passes along the inclinedpart 11 of the cam. Immediately thereafter the inlet valve 54 will open. .The exhaust may be conducted from the engine through a conduitm'connected with the passage 62 in the shaft ll. Any other means for actuating the valves may, of course, be provided if desired.

While the engine has been shown in the accompanying drawings as provided with a horizontal shaft, yet it will be obvious that the shaft may be arranged vertically, in which case, the lower end thereof may be provided with a suitable thrust bearing, as is customary in engines of that type.

The engine described may also be operated as an internal combustion engine by admitting a combustible mixture to the passages 42, 43, M, 41 and 4B and providing spark plugs or other suitable means for firing the explosive mixture in the cylinders. The length of the circumferential passage 44 may, of course, be varied in length, depending upon the purpose for which the engine is used. When used as an internal combustion engine, the inner and outer cylinder heads may be provided with central apertures 80 for spark plugs or other ignition devices which may receive electric current through stationary conductors (not shown) mounted on the inner face of the annular housing member 8.

In order to advance or retard the inlet of fluid to the cylinders, the shaft l1 may be adjusted about its axis.

Lubrication of the engine may be effected in any suitable or desired manner. Oil rings 8] may be provided to prevent the escape of 011 from the interior of the engine about the shaft I1, and thrust washers or bearings 82 may be provided between the flanges 35 and 35 and the housing members H and 12 respectively. One or other of the flanges 35 and 36 may be pro vided with an oil passage 83, the outer end of which may be closed by a set screw or the like and through which oil may be admitted to the interior of the engine, which will lubricate the 6 pistonsand cylinder wallsand the bearingsin the interior of the engine.

It will be understood that various changes in the details, materials, and arrangements of. parts which have been herein described andv illustrated in order to explain the nature of the invention may be made by those skilled in the art Within the principle and scope of the invention, as expressed in the appended claims.

I claim as my invention:

1. An engine including a stationary shaft having a crank, a plurality of cylinders arranged symmetrically about the axis of said shaft,said cylinders being rigidly connected with eachother, flange members secured to the opposite sides of said cylinders and rotatable about said shaft to enable said cylinders to rotate about saidshaft, pistons in said cylinders, crossbars mounted on the portions'of said pistons adjacent to said shaft, a yoke member journalled on said crank andhaving outwardly extending portion through which said cross bars extend and which are sli'dable length-wise of said-cross bars during the rotation of said cylinders about said shaft, said flange members having integral sleeveportion extend.- ing about said shaft, a housing within which said engine is arranged and including side members, bearings cooperating with said side members and said sleeves for mounting said cylinders for rotation about said shaft, passages in said flanges and said sleeves, cooperating passages in said'sha'ft through'which fluid may pass to and from said cylinders, inlet and discharge-manifolds arranged in fixed relation to said cylinders, a check valve controlling the flow of incoming fluidfrom said inlet manifold to said cylinder, a discharge valve controlling the discharge of fluid to said discharge manifold, and a stationary part on said housing cooperating with said discharge valve to actuate the same.

2. An engine including a stationary shaft having a crank, a plurality of cylinders arranged symmetrically about the axis of said shaft, said cylinders being rigidly connected with each other, flange members secured to the opposite sides of said cylinders and rotatable about said shaft to enable said cylinders to rotate about said shaft, pistons in said cylinders, cross 'bars mounted on the portions of said pistons adjacent to said shaft, a yoke member journalled on said crank and having outwardly extending portions through which said cross bars extend and Which are slidable lengthwise of said cross bars during the rotation of said cylinders about said shaft, said flange membershaving integral sleeve portions extending about said shaft, a housing within which said engine is arranged and including side members, bearings cooperating with said side members and said sleeves for mounting said cylinder for rotation about said shaft, passages in said flanges and said sleeves, and cooperating passages in said shaft through which fluid may pass to and from said cylinders, said shaft being adjustable about it axis for timing the admission of fluid to said cylinders with reference to their positions about the axis of said shaft.

3. An engine including a stationary shaft having a crank, a plurality of cylinders arranged symmetrically about the axis of said shaft and rotatable about said axis, pistons in said cylinders, cross bars on said pistons and extending diametrically with reference to the same and secured to portions of the pistons adjacent to said shaft, a rigid yoke member rotatably mounted on said crank and having rigid parts thereof bearing on said cross bars and Slidable lengthwise of said cross bars and transversely of said pistons during rotation of said cylinders about said shaft, each of said cylinders having an outer cylinder head and an inner cylinder head spaced from said outer head, a partition dividing the space between the inner and outer heads into inlet and discharge manifolds, a check valve in said inner head through which fluid from said inlet manifold may enter the piston, a discharge valve in said inner head for discharging fluid from said cylinder into said discharge manifold, stationary parts engaged by said discharge valve during the rotation of said cylinders for opening the same, conduits connected with said cylinder and communicating with said inlet and discharge manifolds, passages in said stationary shaft, one of said passages receiving incoming fluid and the other passage receiving fluid discharged from said engine, aid passages terminating in ports in the peripheral portion of said shaft, and ports connected with said conduits which communicate with said ports of said shaft to intermittently connect said conduits with said passages in said shaft.

4. An engine including a stationary shaft having a crank, a plurality of cylinders arranged symmetrically about the axis of said shaft and rotatable about said axis, pistons in said cylinders, cross bars on said pistons and extending diametrically with reference to the same and secured to portions of the pistons adjacent to said shaft, a rigid yoke member rotatably mounted on said crank and having rigid parts thereof bearing on said cross bars and slidable lengthwise of said cross bars and transversely of said pistons during rotation of said cylinders about said shaft, each of said cylinders having inlet and exhaust manifolds connected therewith, a check valve for controlling the flow of fluid from said inlet manifold to said cylinder, an exhaust valve connecting said cylinder with said discharge manifold, a stationary part past which said cylinders revolve and which controls the operation of said exhaust valve, stationary passages for inlet and discharged fluids terminating in ports, a part revolving with said cylinders and cooperating with said ports and having openings intermittently communicating with said ports, conduits communicating with said inlet and discharge manifolds and connected with said openings in said part for conducting incoming and discharged fluids to and from said inlet and discharge manifolds.

WILLIAM W. SMITH.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Number Name Date 1,081,810 Carey Dec. 16, 1913 1,179,783 Stedman Feb. 8, 1916 1,443,282 Scott Jan. 23, 1923 1,5?25'78 Thomas Feb. 9, 1926 2,086,302 Schlenker July 6, 1937 FOREIGN PATENTS Number Country Date 92,239 Sweden i935 

